Chuck vs the Instinct's Happy Ending
by KittyGoddess415
Summary: Follows directly from Chuck vs. the Instinct. Couldn't decide if I wanted a happy or sad ending, so wrote 'em both -- you choose. : One-shot, obviously.


Chuck vs. the Instinct, Happy Ending

**A.N. **This follows directly after Chapter 3 of Chuck vs. the Instinct. Disclaimers etc. can be found in Chapter 1 of that story. Thanks for following along, hope you enoy!

* * *

Sarah jerked awake, calling for Chuck, tears streaming down her face. Darkness greeted her first and her heart felt leaden in her chest.

But then she heard it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She scrubbed her hands down her face and swept at the tears as she drew deep breaths and listened in the stillness.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Then a hoarse voice. "Sarah?"

She nearly choked as she inhaled sharply. "Chuck?" Her voice broke as she whispered his name. She groped for the lamp at his bedside, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Ow!" he whispered. "Bright!"

She fumbled with the lampshade, tilting it away from him, nearly knocking the lamp off the table.

"Sarah?" he whispered again, his eyes open to slits. "Are you okay?"

"Am _I_-" He never ceased to amaze her. She sat back down in the armchair she'd pulled over to his bedside, leaning over to him and grabbing his hand tightly. "Chuck, you got shot!" His eyes flew open at that. "I don't give a damn how I am, are _you_-"

The door flew open, and Chuck finally seemed to register where he was. "Hospital?!" he croaked.

Sarah could only nod as Ellie and Devon led a troop of doctors into the room. "Chuck, you _idiot_!" Ellie exclaimed. "How could you even _think _to interfere in a burglary? Call 911 next time! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

She ran her hands over his face, peeking under the heavy bandage around his neck. "If that bullet had hit you half a millimeter more to the right, it would've done more than nick your carotid artery, it would've gone straight through, Chuck! You could've died!" She bopped him on the head gently and kissed his forehead, smoothing back his curls and finally stepping aside to allow the treating doctor better access to Chuck.

The interns the doctor led in clustered around the opposite side of the bed. "I don't know what this young man was thinking," she smiled at Chuck, "but he's very, very lucky," she explained.

"He wasn't thinking," Sarah whispered, "He's a hero," she continued, her eyes locked on Chuck. He reached the hand she held up to her face, gently stroking her cheek and wiping away tears she hadn't known she was shedding.

"Don't cry," he whispered, oblivious to the three-ring circus to his other side. "I never want you to cry over me."

She only cried harder, smiling at the same time. She leaned up to whisper in his ear, "That's why I love you." Orders be damned, she thought rebelliously.

He tried to turn his head towards her, "Ow, ow, ow, ow".

"Chuck! Stop it!" Sarah admonished. She stood over him so he could see her face. "What?"

He just smiled the trillion watt Cheshire cat smile that he saved just for her, and closed his eyes. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

The doctors filed out, and from amidst the throng as they did a familiar voice said, "I didn't know the circus was in town, Bartowski. They need another clown?"

Without opening his eyes, Chuck merely replied, "Hey, Casey."

"Hey yourself," Casey growled as he nodded to Sarah, Ellie and Devon. "You still alive?"

"Obviously," Chuck sighed.

"Good. Then you'll feel this." With that warning, Casey punched him in the leg. Hard.

"Casey!" Sarah and Ellie both yelled.

Chuck's eyes had opened again at the punch, and Casey leaned over the bed, looking directly into Chuck's startled gaze. "Don't _ever_ do that again, Bartowski."

"Aw, you _do _care!" Chuck replied with a smile.

"Stuff it, Bartowski. No more heroic leaps, got it?"

"Yes, Colonel," Chuck sarcastically retorted.

"Colonel? Dude! You play those military games too, Casey?! That's why Chuck said Colonel, Ellie," Devon jumped in, babbling and gesturing emphatically at all of them. While he was slowly getting more accustomed to it, it was still hard for him to process the injuries that came with Chuck being a spy, resulting in, well, verbal vomit, to say the least. Casey and Sarah shared a look as Devon enthusiastically continued, "War games, Ellie, those video games they play, with the military and the colonels-"

Ellie frowned at Devon, "Yes, honey, I know what war games are; Chuck's only been my brother for all his life." She raised a hand to feel his forehead. "Are you okay?"

Devon nodded excessively, "Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be? I'm always fine, I'm awesome, always, fine...How are you?" He gave her the double gun point for good measure.

Ellie shook her head and sighed. "I think you're overtired, hon." Turning to Sarah and Casey, "Will you stay with Chuck?"

Sarah nodded, "Of course," and Casey grunted affirmatively.

"Thanks," Ellie smiled. "Chuck, I'll be back to pick you up in the morning, okay?"

"Yup, thanks, Ell. Sorry to scare you."

She kissed his forehead, adding, "Just consider that Casey can't get to you while you sleep. I can, and I still remember all those embarrassing sleepover tricks. So unless you want Sarah thinking you wet the bed regularly, you keep out of trouble!"

"Yes, General Bartowski!" Chuck replied with a smile.

Devon opened his mouth, but Ellie just took his hand and dragged him out of the room, leaving Team Bartowski behind.

"Awesome really has to work on that," Sarah remarked.

Chuck could only laugh. "This _is_ him being better."

"I could always-" Casey began.

"No!" Sarah and Chuck answered together.

"Damn."

* * *

_So? What do you think? I just couldn't decide whether I wanted to be happy or dark, so I figured I'd leave it to you, dear readers. :)_


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